Screenplay by Deborah
Greenspan
from a story by Scott
Van Gundy
EXCERPT:
Pages 21-26
INT. ANGELA TOWNSEND’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
The readout says, “September
8th - 2:38 AM.” ANGELA TOWNSEND, an elderly woman who lives alone, wakes
up in a chair in front of the television, where she’d obviously dozed off.
She finds the remote, turns off the TV, which is broadcasting a test pattern,
and then slowly gets up and goes into the kitchen. She straightens
up the kitchen, decides against putting the dishes in the rack away, and
closes the light on her way out. In the living room she turns off
the side lamp and then goes toward the bedroom. A light from the
bathroom just barely illuminates this room. Angela neatens up the
PHOTOGRAPHS on the dresser and goes into the closet to hang up her robe.
Suddenly, there is a CRASH and the bedroom window breaks. Angela
backs up against the wall of the closet, as ANDY, a big, raven-haired man--muscular
and very good looking--climbs in the window. He doesn’t see her and
he goes to the dresser, pushes the pictures onto the floor and begins going
through her jewelry box and then the drawers. He finds nothing of
value. Obviously hyped up on something, he turns toward the closet.
Angela, not knowing what else to do, jumps out at him with a broom as a
weapon. Andy laughs as she takes a swipe at him and misses.
Andy grabs for the end
of the broom but gets a handful of straw. Angela hits him in the head with
the handle. Andy grabs it and wrenches it out of her hands.
She stands there, absolutely defenseless yet defiant.
Andy takes a step forward,
expecting Angela to back down, but she stands her ground. He laughs.
Then he backhands her across the face, knocking her halfway across the
room. He’s bleeding from a cut over his eye. Angela is crying
now.
ANDY
You hit pretty hard for an old lady.
ANGELA
I’m sorry. I...please, just go?
ANDY
(to himself as he goes through her things)
Me, I’m like a force of nature...like
the wind...a hurricane...or a tidal
wave...Once I’m in motion I just gotta
carry on. Can you turn back the tide?
Can you stop the wind?
Pocketing a diamond ring and some cash, he continues to search. Angela runs while he’s examining the ring but he comes after her, turns her around and hits her across the face. She goes reeling into the wall. He hits her again and she slides sideways through the kitchen doorway. Her face is bleeding, and Andy reaches out and lifts her up. He touches the blood on her cheek ever so gently.
ANDY
Oh mama, so much blood...
ANGELA
Please, I can get you money. I have
a safety deposit box...
Andy gets real close to her and whispers in her ear.
ANDY
See, it’s not the money. Not really.
Angela groans and begins to collapse. As she’s falling, she reaches out to the rack of dishes next to the sink and grabs a knife. She strikes out at him with it, but he grabs her hand before she can do any damage and peels her fingers off it, one by one. He pulls her up by the hair and sets the point of the knife against her throat.
ANGELA
Please...please...don’t hurt me.
ANDY
Ah, if only I were in control but
I’m not...I’m not...Do you think I
like this? Do you think I like my
life? I’m a puppet! Just a puppet...
FADE TO:
CU OF TELEVISION SCREEN:
Readout across the bottom
says: September 8, 10:15 AM.
NEWSCASTER 1
No arrests have been made in the
Wallace case. The department has no
leads, and a second child, found
murdered yesterday, is just as great
a mystery. What a terrible tragedy.
NEWSCASTER 2
The interesting thing is Wallace’s
position as founder of SEE--Stop an
Eye for an Eye. Now that his son has
been killed, I wonder if he’s as
adamantly against the bill as he was
before.
NEWSCASTER 1
Well...it’s personal now.
PULL OUT TO:
INT. CORPORATE OFFICES - DAY
It’s early morning. GLEN MORGAN IV, CEO of Titan Insurance, is sitting behind his enormous desk watching the commentary. His ASSISTANT walks in and waits to be noticed. CEO flicks off the TV and thinks for a moment.
ASSISTANT
I guess Wallace won’t be out waving
any flags for awhile.
MORGAN
If he’s smart, and I think he is, he
could use this to gain an enormous
advantage.
The assistant is puzzled.
MORGAN (cont’d)
His son was killed...he still opposes Eye
for an Eye. His convictions look very, very
strong.
The assistant looks intrigued.
MORGAN (cont’d)
If I don’t find a way to shut him up,
the tide could turn...
He stands up and paces over to the window.
MORGAN (cont’d)
Look what one guy did in Oklahoma city--147 life
insurance policies! These large group payouts
are killing us! We’ve got to fight this on
every front, and we need Eye for an Eye..
Morgan thinks for a moment and shakes his head. Then he goes back to the desk and picks up the phone.
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT - DAY
The readout says: September 8, 11:38 AM. Andy wakes up on Angela’s living room couch. He angles the remote at the TV and switches it off. He groans, his head aching and picks up the pipe on the coffee table. Lighting it, he inhales deeply and sits back while the drug takes effect. After a few moments, he gets up, picks up his sack of stolen goods and his drug paraphernalia and heads for the front door. Though he passes the doorway to the kitchen, he doesn’t look in, just shakes his head and mutters. Opening the front door, he exits.
EXT. FRONT OF ANGELA’S APARTMENT - DAY
An OLD MAN sees Andy come out of Angela’s apartment, his head down, and watches as he walks slowly through the parking lot. When Andy is out of sight, the old man goes to Angela’s door and knocks, pushing the door open. Hesitantly, he goes inside.
OLD MAN
Mrs. Townsend? Angela? It’s Sid
from across the way. Are you all right?
There is no answer and Sid walks past the entry to the doorway to the kitchen. He looks in and sees Angela’s body. Blood is everywhere. He clutches at his heart and falls into the seat in the hall. Then he picks up the phone and dials.